The Marines called him “doc.”
Renee Tabet explained her stepfather, Escolastico “Cole” Griego, a young Navy corpsman drafted at 19, was tasked with making life-and-death decisions on Iwo Jima, one of the bloodiest battles of World War II.
“He would go from one soldier to the other soldier, doing the best he could,” she said.
In the weeks of fighting that killed 7,000 Marines, Griego decided who could be stitched up, who needed to be sent out for additional care and who wasn’t going to make it, she said.
He worked through flying bullets on the black, gritty volcanic island in 1945.
“He ate and slept in foxholes,” Tabet said.
Tabet shared Griego’s story during after an interment service at Pikes Peak National Cemetery on Tuesday. He died on June 27 at 99.
She noted that Griego didn’t share much about his service until he visited Washington, D.C., in 2017.
Escolastico “Cole” Griego was a 19-year-old Navy corpsman when he arrived at Iwo Jima in February 1945, unaware that he was about to take part in one of the bloodiest battles in the Marines’ history.
During the three-day trip through the Honor Flight of Southern Colorado, the corpsman was honored for his service — and he started to share with Tabet and others.
In the years since, Griego sat down with The Gazette to share his story and appeared at several public events in town.
It was important to Tabet for the story to be shared again at his passing so people understand the gravity of the sacrifice of World War II veterans.
“The only thing we can do is continue to teach it and speak about it and share it with others,” she said.
It’s estimated less than 1% of the 16.4 million Americans who served during WWII are still alive and about 131 of them die each day, according to the National World War II Museum.
Some of Griego’s memories have been saved to be passed on through family and news stories, although some were too tough to share, he said during a Gazette interview.
The work was hectic and as the Japanese tried to target corpsmen, he kept working. He didn’t bathe, change clothes or brush his teeth during the fighting, he said.
During five weeks of battle, Griego estimated that he helped more than 100 men, he told The Gazette.
Five days into the battle, Griego was performing first aid at the base of a hill when he saw five Marines and one Navy corpsman raise the flag. It’s an image that lives on as the Marine Corps Memorial in Washington.
The moment showed Griego the Americans would win, Tabet said.
“He knew things were going to calm down and he was going to get to come home again,” she said.
When he got home to Belen, N.M., Talbet believes he was changed. The long-time postal worker was content and never complained.
He returned to an infant daughter, who later died when she was 30.
Later, when he remarried, he stepped into the role as father to four children, including Tabet. He left behind grandchildren and great-grandchildren and great-great grandchildren as well.
Although Tabet can’t imagine he escaped the war without some post-traumatic stress, he was peaceful to the end of his life.
“He was literally the happiest man I have ever met,” she said.
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